


Burdens of Leadership

by Ferafish



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Dialogue Heavy, Dragon Age Quest: The Landsmeet, End Game Spoilers, Gen, How I justify my decision to myself
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-21
Updated: 2017-10-21
Packaged: 2019-01-20 12:46:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12433173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ferafish/pseuds/Ferafish
Summary: A confrontation between Alistair and Liya Surana following the Landsmeet.





	Burdens of Leadership

**Author's Note:**

> This work was inspired by the Dragon Age subreddit's [weekly writing prompts](https://www.reddit.com/r/dragonage/comments/77mkhj/spoilers_alloctime_to_be_storytellers_the_dragon/dontrog/). Liya Surana is mute, and thus uses sign language to communicate. The words written here are not indicative of actual sign language grammar, be it ASL or BSL. If you're interested, there's a Teen Wolf fic [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/7343674) that has a far better representation of ASL grammar.

"How could you let Loghain live? After everything he did to us! After everything we've been through, you're going to let him live? What do you think gives you the right to make that kind of decision without consulting the rest of us?" Alistair yelled.

Liya clenched and unclenched her fists. She could feel the sparks of her magic itching beneath her skin. She shook for a moment, desperately pushing the magic back. It would be bad to fry the new king of Ferelden.

After a moment, Liya raised her hands. _'You did,'_  she signed.  _'When you thrust the responsibility of leading to a brand new recruit. When you refused to take the lead on anything. You gave away your decision making responsibilities, and now you're mad at me for making decisions?'_

"Well, I didn't think you would do something outrageous like this!"

_'Well too bad, I did. And if you'd stop screaming at me for a moment, I'd tell you why.'_

"What possible reason could there be? What could make this okay?"

_'A Grey Warden dies with the Archdemon.'_

Alistair pauses, his eyes wide. "What?"

_'I used to read about the Grey Wardens when I was in the Circle. They were my only hope of leaving that damned place. Every single Grey Warden who struck the final blow on the Archdemon fell in the battle. None of them survived.'_

"What? Are you sure? How can you-"

_'Yes, I'm damned sure,'_  Liya signed, her movements sharp and jerking.  _'A Grey Warden is going to die, and it isn't going to be me. And for all the work I just went through to put you on the throne, it damned well won't be you, either.'_

"Riordan?"

_'I'm not trusting that a man we recently broke out of a torture dungeon is going to be fighting fit. Besides, I don't want to be in charge of Ferelden's Grey Wardens, and you can't be, so he needs to live to take over.'_

"So Loghain's going to die?"

_'I will throw him at the Archdemon myself. And if he survives that, I'll throw him off the battlements myself.'_


End file.
